Beverly Cleary > Quotes

“If she can't spell, why is she a librarian? Librarians should know how to spell.”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona's World

“Quite often somebody will say, 'What year do your books take place?' and the only answer I can give is, in childhood.”
― Beverly Cleary

“Didn't the people who made those license plates care about little girls named Ramona?”
― Beverly Cleary

“Words were so puzzling. Present should mean a present just as attack should mean to stick tacks in people.”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona the Pest

“Problem solving, and I don't mean algebra, seems to be my life's work. Maybe it's everyone's life's work.”
― Beverly Cleary

“He was dressed as if everything he wore had come from different stores or from a rummage sale, except that the crease in his trousers was sharp and his shoes were shined.”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, Age 8

“Neither the mouse nor the boy was the least bit surprised that each could understand the other. Two creatures who shared a love for motorcycles naturally spoke the same language.”
― Beverly Cleary, The Mouse and the Motorcycle

“I am not a pest," Ramona Quimby told her big sister Beezus.”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona the Pest

“After Father had served the chicken and mashed potatoes and peas and Mother had passed the hot rolls, Beezus decidedthe time had come to tell Aunt Beatrice about being Sacajawea. "Do you know what I did last week?" she began. "I want some jelly," said Ramona "You mean, 'Please pass the jelly,' "corrected Mother while Beezus waited patiently. 'No, what did you do last week?" asked Aunt Beatrice. "Well, last week I-" Beezus began again. " like purple jelly better then red jelly," said Ramona. ' Ramona , stop interrupting your sister," said Father. "Well, Ido like purple jelly better then red jelly," insisted Ramona."Never mind," said Mother. "Go no, Beezus." Last week-" said Beezus, looking at her aunt, who smiled as if she understood."Excuse me, Beezus," Mother cut in. "Ramona, we do not put jelly on our mashed potatoes." "I like jelly on my mashed potatoes."Ramona stirred potato and jelly aroud with her fork. "Ramona you heard what your mother said." Father looked stern. "If I can ut butter on my mashed potateos, why can't I put jelly? I put butter and jelly on toast," said Ramona. Father couldn't help laughing. "That's a hard question to answer." "But Mother-" Beezus began."I like jelly on my mashed potateos," interrupted Ramona, looking sulky.”
― Beverly Cleary, Beezus and Ramona

“She means well, but she always manages to do the wrong thing. She has a real talent for it.”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“The humiliation that Jane had felt turned to something else--grief perhaps, or regret. Regret that she had not known how to act with a boy, regret that she had not been wiser.”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“She was not a slowpoke grownup. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting she had to find out what happened next.”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona the Pest

“I know this is probably sort of sudden." The boy hesitated. "But I was wodnering if you would care to go to the movies with me tomorrow night.”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“Once more Jane sat staring at the telephone. This time she was filled with a confidence that was new to her. Stan Crandall. Stanley Crandall. He liked her! He had seen her once, and even though had been rumpled and grass-stained and having a terrible time with Sandra, he liked her well enough to go to the trouble of finding out her name and calling to ask her to go to the movies. Jane smiled at the telephone and gave a sigh of happiness”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“I had a very wise mother. She always kept books that were my grade level in our house.”
― Beverly Cleary

“All her life she had wanted to squeeze the toothpaste really squeeze it,not just one little squirt...The paste coiled and swirled and mounded in the washbasin. Ramona decorated the mound with toothpaste roses as if it was a toothpaste birthday cake”
― Beverly Cleary, Ramona and Her Mother

“He would be atleast sixteen-old enough to have a driver's licence- and he would have crinkles around his eyes that showed he had a sense of humor and he would be tall, the kind of boy all the other girls would like to date”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“She was surprised to feel his hand on her arm and still more surprised-almost unbelieving-to see his fingers unclasp his identification bracelet and remove it from his arm. Silently he fumbled with the bracelet and slipped it around her right wrist. with a tiny click he snapped the clasp shut. Jane gave a gasp of astonishment and turned questioning to Stan. She was wearing his identification bracelet! The silver links on her wrist were still warm from his arm”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“She really was weating Stan's bracelet on her arm, something she had scarcely allowed herself to think about-at least not often; it would be so far in the future, if it happened at all. And now it had happened, months before she had dreamed it could.”
― Beverly Cleary

“That was the trouble with this house. A girl couldn't even carry on a telephone conversation with any privacy”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“Well, she thought, I'm certainly bright. She had wanted to meet a new boy and when she finally did meet one she didn't even find out his name”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“Oh well, thought Jane, that's how men are. He's probably taking it for granted. She found it very pleasant to be taken for granted by Stan”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen

“If they had been riding in a car, she would have waited for him to go around and open the door for her, but riding in a truck is different”
― Beverly Cleary, Fifteen